1. Watching the Process –The Process
Management, Project Management, Process Management, each a process. Can
you isolate the moment you realised that? Can you remember the first moment
when you saw the process in action? I can.
I was in the second grade. We were out in the playground for recess. We were
playing kickball.
Recess was unstructured. There was no micromanagement of children then.
The two usual classmates were captains. This was SOP. Then, one day, one of
the teams had a co-captain.
While some of the other boys in my class complained, “Why do they always get
to be captains?” “They always pick their friends. That’s not fair,” I observed the
process.
The captains were the natural leaders. This was because they were good at the
game and good at picking players. (Athletes will routinely hang out with athletes.
Question: Are they picking their friends, or good athletes, or both? Answer: both.)
We root for the underdogs; but we want to run with the winners. Good at sports
or bad at sports, each of us wants to be on a winning team.
However, we now had co-captains. I was less concerned with why. I simply
wanted to be on a winning team. That was over 50 years ago. I still remember
the day. However, we never stop learning. It was only a few weeks ago when I
thought about that day that I realised something.
If you are a good athlete, and I am a good athlete, and we have three powerful
players in the class; Tom, Dick, and Harry, and we toss a coin for first pick, the
following are the possible results:
You have three power players: I have two power players.
I have three power players: you have two power players.
It comes down to the toss of a coin.
Plan B. I have a co-captain. It doesn’t matter who wins the toss. Either way, I
have three power players on my team and you have two on your team.
Now, that was not the end of the lesson. That was the beginning.
1. We learned not only about leadership, but also about followship.

2. 2. We learned the art of negotiation and the result of having good leaders.
3. We also learned how to get along without being micromanaged by parents.
4. There was a lesson in conflict resolution and the value of cooperation.
It went on from there.
Some of my classmates complained. They, however, had no viable alternative.
They also had no appreciation for the objective assessment of what was
happening.
Some had inflated views of their own skills. (If he can do it, so can I.) Yet, none
ever explained why others never gravitated to them as leaders.
There was more to be learned by watching the process.
1. How did some classmates interact with others?
2. How did some interact with the teacher?
3. How did the teacher interact with some students as opposed to others?
For the last one, I can offer some insight. If the objective is to encourage a
student to participate, the teacher calls on the quiet one. If the objective is to
teach the class how to solve a problem, the teacher calls on the student most
likely to have the correct answer.
There is much to be said for participation. There is little to be said for sitting on
the sidelines. However, as Yogi Berra once said, “You can see a lot by just
watching.” To which I shall add, “You can hear a lot by just listening.”
What does this have to do with project management?
Perhaps you shouldn’t be managing projects.
Regards,
Slim
Mail slimfairview@yahoo.com
Copyright © 2011 Slim Fairview
600 Words. First North American Serial Rights